Tennessee Cannabis

High Times recently reported about TN Senators being scared to pass a medicinal marijuana bill. When it comes to political views on the cannabis plant, Tennessee has a unique one. A few of the states major cities (Nashville and Memphis) decriminalized marijuana. It didn’t take long for TN Legislature to pass a bill that would bar cities in Tennessee from decriminalizing possession of small amounts of marijuana. At the same time, the state was accepting their third year of applications for an industrial hemp grower license and left room in the guidelines for marijuana to be included. To some it may be understandable for the Senate to be reluctant to pass a bill legalizing marijuana. They have passed bills legalizing the Hemp industry. And the results are lacking however there is room for growth. After all, The growing Hemp pilot program is still in its infancy.

In 2015, the state had about 50 farmers sign up to grow the crop for the first time in more than 700 years. In the Congressional research 2017 Report Titled, ‘Service Hemp as an Agricultural Commodity” , it states that TN had 41 licensed Hemp farmers in 2016. The number of hemp grow licenses issued for 2017 has yet to be announced.

Politicians could be waiting on more research to make a decision for passing a pro marijuana bill based on demand for hemp. In the 3 years that the hemp pilot program has been running, they have had a flux of applicants for a grow Hemp licenses. Tennesseans have an opportunity to actively be influential in their reps decisions on hemp laws and legalizing marijuana.

The best way is to start consuming more Hemp products. It’s all about supply and demand. According to the 1850 U.S. Census, Tennessee produced 454 tons of dew-rotted hemp and 141 tons of water-rotted hemp. If history has taught us anything, it’s that the cannabis plant can thrive in the state. Research has proven That hemp products can be beneficial.

One of the main reason why hemp’s cultivation environment is so important is because of hemp’s properties of absorbing contaminants from the soil while it grows. So if the soil it was grown on is not good, clean soil, then that plant might contain high levels of lead or mercury. In order for hemp farmers to keep their license, their needs to be tested. Since a plant sample is already being taken, it would be possible to test for other things besides THC levels. According to an industry insider, there have been instances where children have almost died taking hemp extracts that were high in lead. Essentially, “those companies have given the rest of the CBD industry a black eye because they were more interested in profiting off the sick instead of creating a quality product and testing it.”Tennessee is all about producing high quality product that is healthy to consume.

Now is the time for Tennesseans to create a demand for Hemp products. This will Show the representatives that they don’t have anything to fear. If the state is making money on Hemp, the government is more likely to expand the laws surround the cannabis plant.